Woman, 2 children found dead in submerged car

WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. – A Memphis, Tennessee, woman and two children have been found dead in a car submerged in an Arkansas branch of the Mississippi River.

Deputies with the Crittenden County Sheriff’s Office say a man had called Friday morning to report he was worried about his girlfriend. Searchers spotted the roof of a car submerged in Hopefield Chute, an oxbow lake across the Mississippi from Memphis. Searchers at first thought the woman was alone in the car. The children were found in the back seat when the vehicle was pulled from the water.

The sheriff’s office says the children were both boys, ages 2 and 7 years.

It was unclear if the car was driven into the water intentionally or accidentally, and an investigation is ongoing.